Love Forever
by Truest Tears
Summary: After many injuries, and after being accused and hated by a great part of the Xmen Remy decides to leave. Rogue remembers why she did not join him.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: X-men and its characters are not mine. I am only borrowin' them.

Summary: After many injuries, and after being accused and hated by a great part of the X-men Remy decides to leave. Rogue remembers why she did not join him.

It has been five years since Remy left the X-men.

Even now I wonder if I did the right thing, not to follow him, and even now I know the answer.

I remember his out-stretched hand, reaching over the side of the ship.

I can remember the beautiful sunset, the last caress, the last polite kiss of my gloved hand.

No, more than polite. It was not courtesy, it was a love that burned deep in his red on black eyes.

He asked me to join him. To leave the X-men and go back with him.

To marry him.

Even as the tears sprang to my eyes, and my heart was torn open, I said no.

I knew where I belonged, and strangely it was not with him.

I loved him with all my heart, but I belonged at home. The X-men were my home.

It has been five years, but I remember even the smallest detail, of his face, his gloved hands, his eyes, that searched mine with pain…and, finally, understanding.

The sunset was fading into a cool night as the ship lifted anchor, preparing to take off into the calm seas.

As I reached over and grasped his hand I knew that I had done the right thing. We did not, after all, belong together.

As the ship surged away and we were broken apart he reached out, and with one final, lightning movement stole the light, pale green scarf from around my neck.

It whipped away from my face, the light material rustling, and the last I saw of him he was standing on the deck, the scarf in one hand, pressed against his face, looking at me until we could see each other no more.

It was then that I knew that no matter what the distance between us, of time or of space, no matter how vast, how long, in my heart I had pledged my love to him forever.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A.N: If you really liked this, it will somehow continue.

If not, this is a oneshot I wrote just after a great friend of mine had to leave the dance school, where we know each other.

I do not know if we will ever see each other again, so this is somehow about us. Of course, we are friends, Rogue and Remy are lovers.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men, I never did. I'm just borrowing them for my own entertainment.

CHAPTER TWO

I've made mistakes in my life. Some not as bad as others.

Some were lethal.

I got involved with a certain scientist who tricked me, leading me into a trap, and no matter how hard I tried to hide it from my friends eventually they found out what I had done.

I knew that I could not hide forever. But I did not want to hurt _her._

When I was finally judged, but then saved by Rogue, who then left me stranded in Antarctica, I thought that my world had come to an end, but when I finally returned and saw the guilt, the pain, and the pure joy in her eyes I knew that it had all been worth it.

I had suffered, but if my love was there, then it was enough.

But it wasn't enough. Not after the other X-men turned on me, not after the accusations…and the injuries.

Several members attempted to kill me. Some of my closest friends planned my death.

But they were not judged for it. I was.

Eventually the remaining people who still believed in me, or at least had decided that I had suffered enough in Antarctica, that I had paid my price, saw that I had to leave.

I knew, too, that my life with the X-men was over. I had to go home.

They got me a seat on a ship the long way over to New Orleans.

The Guild had pardoned me enough to let me stay there.

I was almost happy. I asked Rogue to come with me. I asked her to marry me.

When she said no my heart broke. I didn't want to show her that, because as it was, she was already crying. She was already heartbroken, knowing that she'd hurt me. She loved me, but she needed to stay home.

The X-men was where she belonged.

As the ship prepared to take off into a brilliant sunset which made the sky dance with reds, gold and fuchsias she held onto my hand.

When we were separated by a swift movement of the ship as its engines came to life I grabbed the scarf that she was wearing, and held it next to my face.

It smelled so much like her, I wanted to remember everything about her, forever.

I also did not want her to see that I was crying.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It has been five years, and I have not forgotten her.

I carry that scarf with me wherever I go. It is the only part of her that I have. I know that it is time to move on…But all I want to do is move back.

I wonder what she'd say if I showed up on her doorstep one day, just myself, acting as though time had not passed, as though I had never had any other life than the one I had with her.

It is not so.

I met Beth. She is a strange girl. I saved her from a snow-storm.

I had being heading home on my bike one day when I had seen a flash of red in a snow bank. I had discovered a girl wearing nothing but a red tank-top and jean shorts.

She did not remember anything of what had happened to her, nor who she was, other then the name embroidered on her jeans pocket, or where she came from.

She wasn't Cajun and didn't know why she was in New Orleans. It was only several weeks later that I discovered two things about her; she was an excellent ballerina and she was two months pregnant.

From there I became more attached to her. I taught her self-defense, and how to use a bo-stick, and how to play cards. She was the only person to ever beat me in a card game. Not even Logan had done that.

The baby was born still-born, and had snake-shaped eyes with weird pupils. The father had been a mutant.

Although I made many attempts to find her relatives I did not manage to locate them, but by then I didn't really care because she was a great companion.

I told her about the X-men, and she immediately persuaded me to go back. Of course, I never thought she'd ever manage to make me return, but inside I wanted to.

It had been five years. I needed to see Rogue.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men, I don't claim to, Beth, by the way, is mine. Just ask and you'll be allowed to borrow her, but do me the courtesy of asking, first. Please!

A.N: Okay, first off thanks to those diligent readers who waded through my grammatical and geographical errors to get to the point of the story. This chapter is for you. ---A very heartfelt thanks goes out to IvyZoe for pointing out that it does NOT snow in New Orleans. bushes and stammers…well, it was a freak storm, ummm, maybe Storm caused it…you know, had a tantrum, or something.

Archive: Please, please ask first.

CHAPTER THREE

"Don' do dat to your toes," said Remy, wincing slightly as he watched Beth parading around the living-room…on about two inches of porcelain.

He had agreed to get her a pair of points, but so far he wasn't so sure about his decision. He was convinced that her feet would be ruined if she kept on doing that.

"It feels so natural," she had said once. He wasn't so sure when she took the points off and her feet were bleeding, blisters forming on the tips and little sores appearing all over the place.

"That's weird," she had said. "I didn't even notice the pain while I was standing on them…I'll find out what I'm doing wrong."

She had gone back to the little ballet shop where she had ordered the points and had immediately been supplied with a pair of toe-protectors; little flat cushions that she was informed went over the toe to protect it from the pressure of standing on points.

Although Beth may have forgotten the small details of ballet she had not forgotten how to dance.

He was quite amazed at her flexibility, as it exceeded even his own, and he was pretty flexible.

After he taught her an array of martial arts he began to teach her gymnastics and acrobatics. She was now almost as agile as Jubilee had been, with the added grace of ballet, and a flexibility she had undoubtedly formed through countless hours of practice.

It had hurt her to lose her baby. Even though she was a stranger to herself, didn't know her own name, didn't know where she was or why she was there, she had found some measure of comfort in the baby.

It had hurt them both to see her lose it, and Remy had been especially wounded to see her grieve.

Now, as she paraded around the living-room she had to step aside every few minutes to avoid a suitcase. She had already packed for the both of them, and their bags were heaped up, rather hazardously, in all directions.

"Look, dat has just got to hurt," he said for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Well quite frankly, Remy, I never understood why you smoked. Or drink, for that matter. I tasted that bourbon one night and I must say it was not pleasant."

He chuckled slightly at her answer. "Hazardous obsessions we bot' have. You could break an ankle, I could get a cancer—"

"Or an array of other things," broke in Beth. "Not just cancer, you could get drunk, and kill someone with that bo-stick you always carry around."

_Not jus' de bo-stick, chere. _He thought. _M' powers could suddenly spiral out of control. But den again, you'll never know dat._

He had never actually demonstrated to Beth how his powers worked. In some way, he didn't want to scare her, but he also didn't want to start using his powers again.

He had tried to live as normally as possible once leaving the X-men. He had opened a casino, quickly watching it grow before passing it over to a good friend of his who acted as partner.

He had tried to stop his thieving ways, and didn't gamble much anymore.

He hadn't told Beth that he had been a thief, or that he had been banished from a guild. He had almost not mentioned the X-men, until she had found the scarf in his coat, and when he had snatched it away, almost growling "Don't touch dat!" she had been curious and prodded the truth out of him.

Which was why they were now on their way to Westchester. Remy had finally given in, and now watched her pirouette her way through the maze of suitcases.

"Chere, really, the ankle…"

"Remy, truly, the cancer…"

He sighed and stubbed out the cigarette while Beth sat down and carefully removed the points.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"What time is it?" asked Beth, pulling the covers over her head, then pushing them down.

"Right, X-men time." She groaned slightly and got up, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she contemplated her feet.

They were still sore, despite the toe-protectors, and she wiggled them, wincing slightly. She needed a hot shower and some breakfast. The plane left in four hours and she didn't want to be late.

She towel-dried her hair while making breakfast for her and Remy; hot coffee and cinnamon pancakes with syrup.

She also remembered to pack her points, do the dishes and hang up her towel to dry, then they grabbed the suitcases and caught a cab to the airport.

Beth got the window seat on the plane, and was awe-struck by the beauty of being lifted up into heaven, watching the country grow smaller, and the clouds grow larger.

"Wow, this is beautiful," she said, looking around at the clear sky. "It makes me want to be outside on the wing."

He laughed at that. "Really, I wouldn' advice dat."

"Do you miss Rogue?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, guess I do."

"I don't understand why she didn't come with you. I would have."

"I know, chere," he said simply. "I know."

A.N: Okay, this is short…but well, I'm getting there.

A special thanks goes to Mystical Sand, BlkDiamond, Herszel and IvyZoe. Thanks a lot for your reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

Dear Remy,

This is one entry in my diary that you'll never see. I'd never admit it to you, but maybe I don't miss you as much…

You see, I finally controlled my powers. But the catch was that I was left with mortal fear of touching anyone. So I went to see a psychologist who helped me to overcome this fear.

But he did more than that. He uncovered pools of guilt so deep I hadn't realized that I'd been drowning in them. He taught me that I never needed to keep a secret from someone; and he did so by never keeping a secret from me.

After we had shared so much of our pasts with each other we inevitably became drawn together.

At first it was in friendship. It is inevitable to show someone so much of yourself and not feel connected with them. But he is more than a friend to me. So much more.

I only wonder what would happen if I told you this…I have already broken your heart once, but if I went and visited you and told you all about me and Justin I don't think I would be able to stand the look of deep pain that would cloud your face.

Your demonic eyes would become outlined in tears, and as I broke your heart again, so I would also break my own.

This is why I will not locate you. It has been five years, but it is best that I don't. I don't want to see you suffer.

I hope, my love, that you have made your own life away from me and the X-men. I hope that you have found love, and someone who cares for you as I did.

But then again, I still lay awake at night, wishing so hard that you were lying next to me. Now that we could touch…

I wonder, that I don't have anything of you. I can still remember the scarf you stole off of my neck, the way the wisp of material whipped around my face before it was carried away with you, leaving the breeze to lap at my bare neck.

I have Justin now, but before I can give him everything, I must let your memory go. I cannot feel guilty for what I am going to give Justin. I do not have to feel guilt for giving him my love.

But before I must let you go.

A.N: Just a tid-bit. More on the way, I promise!

Okay, well, thanks, again, for all who have reviewed. Also, I recently started a new 'fic called A Cut of Cajun. I just don't know whether I should continue, and submit it, it's really dark!

But anyway, for what it's worth I'll finish the first chapter and post it, then you can tell me what its worth. Thanks, guys!


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Justin, you're early!" exclaimed Rogue, smiling brightly as she joined her psychiatrist/lover.

"So I am," he smiled. "Here, I brought you a present."

"That's so sweet. You didn't have to, sugah."

Inside, she raised an eyebrow. Justin was never early. He must have considered this a special occasion.

"Well, open it," he prodded.

Quickly she opened the hunter-green box, flicking away a layer of tissue paper to reveal a delicate, light green scarf.

She dropped the box with a clatter, the soft, wisp of material clasped in one hand as she looked up at Justin.

"I remembered how you said that the scarf that Remy stole had been your favorite, so I got you a replacement," said Justin.

He seemed happy with his choice of gift, while Rogue was chocking back silent sobs, desperately trying to keep a brave face.

"Hey, there's no secrets between us, remember? Look, I know you miss him, but it's been five years…"

He trailed off as Rogue reached down and carefully picked up the box.

"It was a lovely present, sugah. Thank you."

Wordlessly Justin took the scarf from her hands, and carefully wound it around her pale, exposed neck. Firmly planting a kiss on her lips he said "While he took from you, I will only give."

Rogue opened her eyes, and was somehow comforted by the soft material against her neck.

Now I can pretend like nothing's happened, she thought.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

He took her to a nice restaurant called Antonio's. Rogue ordered a plate of steamed fish, a plate of garlic bread and a large bowl of mixed salad to share. Justin had the beef special, without the chilli peppers.

He was very different from Remy, in all ways.

He didn't like spicy foods and he wouldn't be caught dead in black and fuchsia, nor did he know martial arts, and he was strongly against stealing, or taking wild risks.

In fact, she thought, Justin was just what she needed. A down-to-earth man with a career and a life…and normal, brown eyes.

After dinner they headed down to the park.

A few lovers were already strolling, hand in hand, and Rogue took the cue to tuck one gloved hand into his.

He merely responded by reaching down and tugging the glove off.

"No more secrets, and no more fear," he whispered, taking her bare hand in his.

They passed a bush of wild roses, and Rogue plucked off one. It was white, and it had thorns. They bit into her hand, but she took it anyway, carefully tucking it into her jacket, before turning her attention back to Justin.

"You're right, no more secrets."

She whirled around until she was in front of him, looking at him.

"Justin Marley, I love ya."

"I know, Anna, I know," he answered, taking both her hands in his.

"And I will never betray you, and I will never leave…ever. But do you love me?" she persisted, holding her breath, as she waited for the answer.

"I'm under the impression that everyone loves you. They just have to, my girl."

"But do you?" her eyes unexpectedly welled with tears. "Stop dodging the question and just say it!"

"Say what, Anna?" he asked her.

"The three words that will change my life…forever."

"Umm," he rocked backwards and forwards nervously. "Chocolate ice cream?"

She smiled, a bittersweet smile, then dropped the hand that she had clasped.

"So this past years has been a false? A fraud? You never loved me? You never hesitated to climb into my bed, but you hesitate to love me?"

"No! I mean, yes, yes, I love you!" He hugged her tightly. "A lot."

She sighed in relief. "I was afraid that you didn't, sugah. I really thought you'd leave me. Like he did."

"It's okay now, Anna. I'm not going anywhere."

"I sure hope so," she said quietly, taking his hand as they continued to stroll towards where they had parked their car.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Beth leaned over the edge of the baggage-claiming slide and tried to find her suitcase.

"It's not like I could miss it," she said. "It's navy blue, with two zips and a front pocket, and wheels…." She trailed off.

"Like about a hundred others."

"Dat's okay, chere. We'll talk to the luggage assistants, den if we don' get it we'll dem de number of de case an' wait til tomorrow. Dey'll have found it by den. Don' worry."

"Okay. It's just it had my clothes in it…and the points."

"We'll get you another pair," he answered, taking the other bags as he headed outside to catch a cab.

The first thing they did was get two rooms in a motel and rent a car, then they headed for a little diner to eat.

"You got de appetite of a bird," he commented as she ate a small omelet and drank a glass of orange juice.

"And you eat like a horse. You make up for both of us," she answered, taking a sip of juice.

When they had finished eating they went back to the motel to shower and change, and Beth unpacked the few things that hadn't been in the navy suitcase. Mainly socks, underwear, a pair of shorts and a long-sleeved blouse, which she put on, a pair of sandals and a jacket.

She took the jacket with her, tying it around her waist before they headed over for the X-Mansion in the rented car.

Beth stuck her head out the window and admired the view as they sped up to where the X-men's mansion was located.

"Remy, tell me more about Rogue," she asked.

"You already know everything," he said, putting a tape into the car's player to avoid further questions.

Beth just reached over and snapped the music off.

"I know enough to know that she still loves you. It's going to be alright." She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, then turned her head towards the window again.

"It's going to be fine," she whispered.

A.N: Okay, life is catching up, I now have a bit more work than before. Free-lance typing. But anyway, I'm going to wake up early, or preferably stay up late, to finish this story.

A big thanks to all who have reviewed, and I'm also writing the first chapter of A Cut of Cajun, so I hope you give me a little review on that once it's up. Thanks to AmberTears, my sister, for little tid-bits of inspiration she's given me. More and longer chapters to come soon!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men, I don't own Marvel. Beth is mine, hands off!

Archive: Please, please ask first!

CHAPTER SIX

"So this is where the X-men live."

Beth raised a hand to shade her eyes, then smiled. "It looks like a comfortable place."

Remy parked out front and they both got out, stretching their legs.

"I 'avent seen it in five years…dat's a long time, chere."

"I can imagine," answered Beth, her hazel eyes looking up at the hulking building and at the woods that surrounded it.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go get her."

Remy frowned. "You sound very eager. I don' tink it's gonna be dat easy."

"Ugh. Fine, let me help you." She reached forward and before she could stop him she had pressed the buzzer on the gate.

"Xavier's, what is it!" bellowed a voice on the other end. Laughing, Beth recognized, from Remy's descriptions, that it was Logan.

"Hey, Wolvie, don't try anything nasty, but Gambit's back."

There was a choke on the other end.

"Who!"

"Remy Etienne LeBeau, now open up."

There was a slight buzzing noise and the gate swung open.

"See, simple," said Beth. "Now go in there and greet her."

"It's not that simple, p'tite."

"Sure it is. You haven't seen each other in five years. So go in there and say hello to her. It's the least you can do. That, or I go in there and drag her out to you."

"Well, Bethie, you sound a bi' more forceful dan usual…but okay, whatever you say." Cautiously, he walked forward, back through the gates that lead to his old life.

If he wasn't killed on sight by those who hated him, he might get the chance to talk to Rogue. Might was the keyword here.

Beth seemed eager to get them together. He had almost believed, before, that she would have been jealous of Rogue, but it seemed the exact opposite.

Although they had been living together for a year she had shown him nothing but a sisterly friendliness and loyalty. Perhaps she hadn't fallen for him, like many another girl, or else she just wanted him to be happy and go find his one true love. His Rogue.

They had reached the door, and Beth leaned forward and was about to knock when the door flew open.

Beth's eyes went wide when she saw a young man with a pair of angel wings protruding from his back, shirtless, wearing only a pair of worn jeans, who glared at Remy before flinging the door open.

"Who's your new friend?" he said in a nasty voice. Beth raised an eyebrow as she caught on to what he was implying.

"Ello to you too. Where's Rogue? I jus' want to see her and I'm leavin'."

"Oh, so you didn't know?" the angel-man smirked. "She's in New Orleans. You know, for a minute there I thought you were coming back, looking to join the X-men again. Too bad, we could have used a murderer."

Remy's eyes went cold, but he didn't say anything.

Beth didn't say anything either, she just reached up and socked the angel-man in the nose.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

TWO DAYS BEFORE

Justin had said he had to work with a patient for a few hours, then they could have their session.

Of course, these days, Rogue thought rather guilty, they did other things on the couch except for emotional examination.

She smiled slightly at the package of donuts, warm, freshly baked Danish and coffee in the paper bag she was holding. He would certainly like something nice to eat before their session.

The receptionist was on the phone, so she took a seat and waited.

The session was supposed to end at ten, but it was ten thirty and no one had come out of the office.

She sighed and put the paper bag next to her, lifting a magazine from a rack, she began to look at the latest fashions in summer dresses. A light green one with a darker green sash caught her attention. It had long sleeves, a V-neckline and two layers of gauze-type material.

The clock said eleven. Nobody had come out of the office yet.

Finally, at eleven thirty, she got up and lifted the bag of cold pasty and coffee and opened up the door, peeking in.

What she saw inside made her let go of the door, letting it fly open, and the bag fell from her hands, clattering to the carpeted floor. Cold coffee leaked out onto the fuzzy material, staining it.

The man and woman who had been getting dressed between passionate kisses stopped to look at the intruder.

"Anna!" exclaimed Justin, guiltily letting go of the woman.

Rogue gave him her bittersweet smile, as tears blurred her vision.

"No more secrets, no more fear," she whispered. Then she turned and fled.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Ahh, my nose!" screeched the angel-man. Beth lowered her fist and looked at Remy guiltily. He was frowning at her.

"What? It was you who taught me how to do that, you know," she stated.

"By the goddess, what has happened here!" exclaimed a white-haired woman as she rushed in to see Warren rolling on the floor with a bloodied face, a young woman with shoulder-length curly dark brown hair and…a certain Cajun with red-on-black eyes.

A.N: That's all I'm saying for now. More to come later. Again, lots and lots of thanks to my reviewers. Much appreciated, guys!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: as usual, I don't own Marvel or X-men. Beth is STILL mine, so please ask before you use her. Thanks!

Archive: Please, please ask first!

CHAPTER SEVEN

"What do ya mean she's gone to New Orleans!" exclaimed Remy.

The angel-man just kept on holding his nose to stop the blood-flow.

Storm rushed in and threw her arms around him. "Oh, Remy, you're back!"

"No' for long, Stormy. I 'ave to find Rogue."

Storm unwrapped her arms from around his neck. "All in due time, my friend. Now who is this?" she questioned, looking at Beth, who was in turn looking at the angel-man. "Besides being a very good puncher, as I can see."

"A very good friend. Beth, meet Ororo Munroe."

Storm raised an eyebrow. "I see you have partially rid yourself of that accent you had. Not that I find Cajun a disinteresting way to speak, but I'm glad you know otherwise."

"Non, dis Cajun gonna stick to de ways he knows. Dis "Beth" here didn' give me a moments peace til I said her name right."

Ororo laughed. "Well, I see you have quite a history. Come you must say hello to the professor, and a few others."

"No, Stormy, I can' do dat. I'd appreciate if you took Beth for a while, though. Seems I gotta go back ta New Orleans if I want to find Rogue."

He saw the disappointed look on her face, and added "It's been five years, I need ta see 'er. You know dat, Stormy."

Ororo pretended to clear her throat and glare at him with mock anger. "I have told you, Gambit, many a times, that you not refer to me that way." But then her expression faded and she clasped his hands.

"I have not seen you for five years, either, my friend. Perhaps to you this is not your home, but as long as I have a place in it, so will you. Remember, if you are ever in trouble I will always be ready to offer you help."

"I know, Storm. You 'ave never failed me. I just need ta ask ya to look after Beth. Please," he paused, watching Beth as she squatted down and poked one of the wings, earning a slap on the hand from Warren. "She means everything to me…almost as much as Rogue, but in a different way."

Storm nodded, letting go of his hand. Her "goddess" posture had come back to her, and she regained her composure.

"Go, find her. But when you have her, invite me over. We have a lot to chat about."

"Well," she said, changing the subject, "I will collect Beth's luggage, and set up a room. I trust she will find friends here." Moving a little closer Storm asked "Is she a mutant?"

"Not that I kno' of. So look after 'er, de ot'ers might get jealous or somet'in."

"I certainly will, Remy…Well, as I cannot convince you to stay, then I guess you must leave. Good luck, my friend."

"Hey, wait, no one's leaving me behind," broke in Beth angrily. "Remy, you're not just leaving without me."

"Sorry, chere, but dis is one ting dat I need to do alone. I'll bring you back a present. Have fun with the X-men."

"Wait, Rem—" but the Cajun had already left, leaving the door open behind him as he hurried back out the driveway and to the parked car outside.

"And I can bet," said a voice behind her, "That he gets torn to pieces. Oh, Rogue won't love him anymore. She's had a taste of human, and she won't fall back for him…and it will serve him right. He'll be torn apart, like he tore the Morlocks apart."

"Warren!" exclaimed Storm angrily. "He is my friend, how dare you say such a thing!"

"Yeah, well, Ororo, you certainly have bad taste in friends. He's a murderer. He'll never live up to what he did."

Seeing as she'd already punched his nose in, Beth looked him over, wondering where to strike next.

Suddenly Angel yelped as Beth grabbed a big handful of his feathers and twisted them viciously, pinning him to the floor.

"You call him murderer one more time, and we'll find out just who can kill," she said. He saw the cold, calculating look in her eyes and wondered if she was actually serious.

Testing her, he said "Well, you were trained by a killer, so I suppose it's only natural that you end up being one."

He managed to open his wings, despite her firm grip on them, and rolled over, until he was on top of her. Without warning she rammed a knee into his mid-riff, punched him with the heel of her hand upside the chin, hearing his neck crack, then pushed him back, only half-conscious, onto the tiled floor of the X-Mansion's living room. Getting up she kicked him swiftly in the ribs.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and she whirled around.

"That's enough, bub. You've given the boy a good enough lesson."

Eyes blazing, she said "Let go of me!" grabbing the hand she twisted the fingers, but one strong hand just grabbed hers, and her arm was slammed behind her back, pinning her painfully.

"Arrgghhh!" she exclaimed, but it was more out of anger than pain. She slammed her free elbow into his ribs, but only heard the sound of metal chinking. Thinking quickly, she maneuvered her torso a bit, then raised a leg up alongside her body and hit him in the head, bending her body slightly so that she could hit him in the nose also.

He let go of her arm so that he could grab her leg and she did a hand-stand, the other leg hitting him in the face. He grabbed that leg and, using the smallest, most developed muscles of her body she bent her back backwards, so that her feet, where he was holding them, ended up on his shoulders, and she reached up with her hands and poked him in the eyes.

He reared back in surprise and hit the wall, letting go of her. Beth quickly tucked and rolled, getting up. Her hands were curled into fists and she seemed to be actually bristling.

To her surprise, Wolverine began to laugh. "Gumbo taught ya good, girl. For a human you're pretty excellent, but…" Three adamantium claws slid out of his knuckles. "You're no match against these."

Beth was just reaching into her jacket's pocket when a loud crack of thunder broke in.

"That's enough, both of you. Logan, leave Beth alone. Beth; likewise. I will not tolerate fighting, and if I must I will stun you both with a low-voltage of electric current." The air around them crackled dangerously.

Beth nodded, her hands lowered and she nodded again briefly in Logan's direction.

"All is forgiven, Wolvie. But come between me and my revenge when Remy's name is insulted and I will kill you both. She gave a glare in Warren's direction.

Somehow, Logan had the feeling that she meant every word that she said.

He couldn't work out how. She was just a pip-squeak of a girl, who had happened to receive training from Remy…but he knew that when she was truly angered she would always succeed.

He nodded back at her. "I understand," he said simply.

What I don't understand, he thought to himself, is how the heck I was just bested by a hundred pounds of female human!

A.N: Blame this chapter on the fact that it is past 2:00 a.m. I haven't ever written a good action sequence before and, umm, maybe I had a chocolate milk overdose. Thanks to all who have reviewed, it is still very, very much appreciated! Oh, and A Cut of Cajun is making its way. It's only going to be a default chapter, though, so I'd really, really appreciate your thoughts on it, once it's out!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Marvel and the X-men aren't mine. Beth is, please, please ask before using her. Thanks!

Archive: Please. Please ask first.

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Do you mean to say this is all your luggage?" asked Storm, frowning at the one bag.

"The other case got lost in customs. Remy said we had to return tomorrow to see if they had it."

"Alright. For the time being you may borrow some clothes from the other residents," said Storm, picking up the case and carrying it down to where Logan was waiting in a car. She put the small case in the boot and got into the passenger seat, and Beth got in the back.

"So, kid, tell us about yourself," said Logan in an attempt to make conversation.

"I…There's nothing much to tell. Remy found me in a freak storm in New Orleans. I don't know how long I was there, but when I woke up I couldn't remember anything about myself. I think I was a dancer, before…I seem to know a lot about ballet."

"And martial arts," added Logan. "What you did back there wasn't by accident. How long have you been trainin'?"

"A year…no, less. I haven't been living with Remy for long, and he didn't train me through most of my pregnancy."

Logan swerved to miss a car, regained control of the wheel and looked up. "What did you say?"

"When he found me I was two months pregnant. I don't know who the father was. The baby was born dead," Beth added simply.

"I am so sorry, child," lamented Storm. "It must have been terrible, for the both of you."

Beth laughed. "We aren't in that type of relationship. He saved my life, and he is my trainer, my protector, but I know that he loves Rogue." She sighed wistfully and looked out the car window. "You know, he still keeps this light green scarf of hers…" to quietly she added to herself "I just hope she doesn't hurt him."

Logan, with his enhanced hearing, heard her, and frowned. Whatever it was, she felt more than plain affection for him.

"Okay," said Storm, changing the subject. "I might as well tell you the rules. Lights are off at eleven, unless stated otherwise or given special permission. Breakfast is at seven thirty. The first class begins at eight thirty…Seeing as it's vacation time we only have two courses; Self Defense and Finer Arts. The underground levels, such as the hangar and the medical lab, are off limits. We do not permit fighting, unless it is in self-defense class…so what you did to Warren would have earned you a demerit…I will excuse you on the grounds that you were not aware of the rules. We all split the chores equally, such as cooking, cleaning, watering the plants, fixing the cars and such things. On Saturdays all the students have the day off, but we advise you all to have caution, and you must be back before midnight."

Beth nodded. "I think I can manage that."

"Sure you can," smirked Logan. "That includes no sudden need to avenge yaself on the poor Angel."

"I was not avenging myself, I was avenging Remy's name. Besides, he deserved it," she pouted, leaning back in the seat and crossing her arms.

"Huh, no doubt."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Her legs hurt and she was lost in a maze of traffic, sidewalks, faces and bodies, all pushing for first place, trying to get to work, or to a meeting.

She wasn't even crying as she ran. But she was getting tired, and with each second one thing was getting clearer and clearer.

She needed to see Remy.

She had been under the impression that Justin had loved her, but he had "loved" every other of his female patients with the same intensity, it seemed. It all made sense now…Tugging on a pair of gloves she mingled with the crowds, losing herself in a stampede of feet.

She pulled her hair out of its holder and let the familiar white streaks fall into her eyes. It felt so natural this way. For the first time in a long while, she felt protected.

It was time to go to New Orleans.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"This will be your room," explained Storm, setting the bag down she smiled.

Beth was standing in a well-spaced room with beige wallpaper and burnt orange curtains. There were a few selective pieces of polished wood furniture, which included a desk with a comfortable chair, a dresser and a large chest of drawers. It had a private bathroom that was decorated in pale blues and pinks and a good view of the surrounding woods.

"I hope that you decide to partake in the regular school activities," said Storm. "Of course, it is not an obligation, and I understand if you feel pressured by the other students."

"No, of course not," said Beth.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"She is like, so human," muttered Jubilee, looking up from a bowl of cereal at Beth, who was chopping up a fruit-salad.

"And thin as a stick," added Jean, buttering some toast. "So, besides making sure that she gets enough nutrients, I hope that you will all take it upon yourselves to befriend her."

Jubilee smirked. "Okay, Miss Grey. I have a feeling that she might feel a little left behind in some of the…"extracurricular activities."

Jean smiled secretively. "Oh, well, Jubilation, I guess you will have to help her along then, and make sure that Logan does not accidentally kill her." 'What I really mean,' she added to herself. 'Is that they do not kill each other.'

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Beth had come down stairs freshly showered and wearing a pair of comfortable track-suit pants, courtesy of Kitty Pryde, and a plain red, but nice-fitting T-shirt, a part of one of Jean's old training costumes.

Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she had on the sneakers that she had been wearing the day before.

When she gathered with several other students in front of a large, metal door, she noticed that everyone was wearing very strange clothes.

Jubilation Lee looked very surprised to see her. "So, you're gonna be trying out for the Danger Room?" the Asian girl asked, popping a piece of pink gum.

Beth nodded. "I think so."

She found herself sizing up her opponents, measuring their weight and height mentally. She remembered everything that Storm had told her about them the day before.

She already knew Wolverine, and that although he was short, stocky and strong, as well as being fast, he was not all that flexible, but his metal claws would well enough make up for any of her tricks.

Kitty Pryde could simply phase out of any situation, but when it came down to hand-to-hand combat she looked more like a dancer than a karate expert. Like Beth herself she had added flexibility and a secret strength contained in her muscles, developed through hours of training.

Cyclops was pretty strong, well-muscled underneath his conservative costume, and he was good at strategies and ordering people about. But he wasn't lethal.

Jean Grey had surprisingly amazing physique, and with the ability to telekinetically transport, as well as protect herself, she was almost invulnerable.

And Angel. Well, he had very strong wings, seemingly would be able to fly very well and was quite a good fighter. He was strong, sleek and fast, rather in the style of Remy.

There was also Storm. She could fly, she was well-trained, surprisingly cunning, but at the same time she was severely claustrophobic, as she had confided.

Beth herself realized that her main advantage would be that several of the X-men considered her to be an innocent, harmless beginner, who had just happened to receive some training. She smiled to herself. Despite her gentle character and overall good-nature she was more dangerous than she appeared at first. The X-men were about to find out.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"The mission is to dispose of the enemy and seek a necklace made out of green beads," said Cyclops. "There'll be two teams. Jubilee, Warren, Beth and Jean in one, Wolverine, Kitty, Storm and me in the other…where is Nightcrawler?"

There was a sudden BAMF! that sounded near by, and although she wasn't the least surprised she emitted a lady-like yelp. Her eyes widened slightly at the strange monster that stood before her.

He had yellow eyes, a body covered completely with dark blue fur, a very flexible spine and a tail.

"I am so sorry, Beth. This is Kurt Wagner, another member of the X-men. I believe I failed to mention him, my apologies," said Storm.

Beth nodded. "Th-that's okay. Umm, nice to meet you."

Kurt nodded, smiling shyly.

Warren growled slightly at her "Get a move on. You aren't fooling anyone with your acting."

She raised an eyebrow. "My, my are we in a bad mood today." She reached up and touched his bruised chin. "Why, does that still hurt?" she asked with mock surprise.

Jean had joined them, and was propelling them all towards the center of the large room known only as the Danger Room.

"Alright, Beth. We will be starting a sequence called 'Gymnastic Jungle.' It is based mainly on a training gym, with rings and mats and other things. It is, however, not as simple as it looks. The sequence will appear around us now. Don't be frightened, they're only holograms. Now, I hope that you stay within this group. We will protect you from any attacks. Also, the other team has been advised not to hurt you, but knowing Wolverine," the redheaded woman frowned. "It would be best if you stayed close."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Beth?" Jean sounded worried as she scanned the area for the human girl. She had been increasingly edgy about letting Beth take part in the mock-mission, but Storm had just smiled and brushed her fears off with a secretive look.

"Beth, please, where are you?" she attempted once again to scan the area, but she hit on some shields, so strong that they caused her telepathy to boomerang back into her own mental realm. She shrieked and dropped down onto one knee, clutching her head.

Immediately she found Scott reaching out with his mind protectively as he sensed her pain. /Hey, you know the rules. Now get back to your team. I can't find Beth, her shields are extremely strong. Almost as much as Remy's were./

She sensed his mental nod as he quickly shimmied up a pole and onto a platform, from there quickly jumping down onto a pool of mats and through a maze of bars that crisscrossed the room.

Before he could reach the platforms up ahead he was confronted by Angel, who stepped into his path, blocking his way. Sighing, Cyclops prepared for a "mock-battle" part of the training. He only hoped that Beth was alright.

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"Beth?" Jubilee whirled around, trying to find the human girl. "Great, everyone's gonna kill me, and it's all your fault. Well, at least I tried," she grumbled to herself, jumping down a plastic tunnel that slid down into a type of pit with mats covering the floor. There was a passage to one side and she took it, heading out to a room filled with rocks and ridges on the walls. High up there was a slim bridge that spread across to yet another level of platforms, and where she presumed the necklace was.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Here, wolfie, wolf. I think we have some business to sort out," said a sleek voice close to Wolverine.

He spun around quickly, and all six claws slowly burst out of his knuckles.

"I don't like you," he said. Somehow, it didn't sound childish of him. He really did not feel good about Beth.

"You've had more training than a year with the Cajun," he stated simply, as he circled her in a predatory circle.

Her eyes narrowed. He noticed that they looked cold and harsh, like steel. Or adamantium. There was nothing weak about her thin body as she paced in the circle that he had drawn around her with carefully controlled steps.

Some very deep, gut instinct was telling him to lunge at her, rip her throat out, smash her to smithereens. Common sense told him to just prove to her that he was the superior fighter, and that in the future she could not harm his loved ones while he was in the way.

Abandoning any pretense of civility, they flexed their rippling muscles and both lunged at the same time, meeting each other half-way, adamantium claws and adamantium staff clashing with a metallic ring, as they pounced and attacked like hungry wolves.

A.N: Hehe, another chapter up. I have finished two chapters of A Cut of Cajun. I'd really like it if you'd check those out. Thanks! And tell me if you like Beth's darker side. I'm sorry if you don't, I'm just letting the naughty muse in my head run free :-)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Marvel and X-men are not mine. So there.

CHAPTER NINE

Uh oh, not good. There was a telepath trying to probe into her mind.

She clamped up her shields and thought she could hear someone exclaim somewhere close to hear.

She pretended to open her eyes tiredly and look around her, catching sight of Charles Xavier sitting by her bedside in his wheelchair.

"I am glad to see that you are awake, Beth. I apologize, sincerely, for Logan's behavior."

"Behavior? He almost killed me!"

"But undoubtedly he had reason to do so," added Charles, sitting back in his wheelchair as he contemplated her youthful, innocent face.

"Yes," admitted Beth. "We had a squabble over Remy, and…I guess you could say we had some unfinished business. I don't know what came over me." She hung her head, clasping it with her hands. "I don't even know who I am!"

"Neither does Logan, Beth. In that way, you are both similar. I am not certain, but I presume that you are a mutant…your shields are too strong for a normal human being."

"I don't have any powers, but Remy trained me well, I doubt that I'm a mutant," said Beth, slowly getting out of bed. She gasped at the slash on her chest and neck that showed through her top. "Wolfie did this?"

"Yes. He is currently re-growing his eyeballs. Fair is fair."

"Yes, well, he has a healing factor. This, on the other hand, is going to scar. Now I wonder what my face looks like."

"A bit bruised," answered Charles. "I will see that Hank patches you up. You'd best get down to lunch before all the food's gone."

Beth nodded, and gladly slipped away, carefully buttoning up the top as high as it would go, then wrapping a bright blue scarf around her neck. It was better than nothing, and she didn't want everyone to know about the fight just yet.

Jean and Cyclops had found them, and Xavier knew, but Logan would never tell anyone because he would be ashamed that she had beaten him. It was best that people didn't know everything about her. She sighed. There were things even Remy didn't know.

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"Wow, you're tough," exclaimed Jubilee. "One minute I hear you take a beating in the Danger Room, the next you can't wait to get down here to eat."

Beth just smiled as she heaped food onto her plate and poured herself a glass of milk. "Training always makes me hungry," she explained off-handedly as she began to eat like she hadn't eaten in days. She certainly hadn't eaten in this manner in a very long time.

It was strange, the memories that tickled lightly at her brain. She had remembered, quite a while before, a voice, that kept on saying to her, in a calm, cold manner 'Kill and eat.'

She had no idea what it meant. She just hoped that Remy returned as soon as possible.

Warren glared at Beth from the other side of the table, and she gave him an innocent smile in return.

Until then, it would almost be fun.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Red, I tell you now, I never attack someone without reason. That girl is a mutant, and she is feral. You should have seen her, she's a killer—"

"Logan, that's quite enough. I have the security tape, and although the view was obstructed by some poles, I did see you lunge at her, and they you began fighting. You slashed her and she poked you twice in the face, at which time you fell off of the platform and were knocked unconscious from the fall. Then Beth collapsed. I saw all that very clearly, and I know that you are as much to blame as she is. I know about that fight you two had when she first arrived, and how you seemed to distrust her ever since, but I tell you, Logan, she's innocent."

"That's what you believe, Jean?" Wolverine got up and paced over to the window.

"I've been alive long enough to know when something's not right. She's a mutant, and she's highly trained. It isn't something that Gambit could've accomplished in one year."

"What do you know, Logan?" Jean retorted. "None of us have seen him for five years. We don't know if he can still fight, if he's an amazing teacher or a pathetic drunk…we know nothing, nothing at all."

"We don't know nothin' about Beth, either, Red," he answered calmly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Professor? Have ya got a minute?"

"Of course, Logan, come in," answered the man behind the desk. He smiled, then frowned. "You're worried about Beth, I see."

Logan sat down. "Yeah…"

"And you have come to me to ask for her to be transported elsewhere?"

Logan brightened slightly at the idea. "That would be nice—"

"But I won't do it," broke in Xavier sternly. "I have no reason to believe that she would purposely harm anyone unless they had insulted Remy Lebeau's name. So far she has only shown dislike for Warren and yourself, and you are the only two to upset her. Her grudge lies mainly with Mr. Worthington. She merely dislikes you for getting in her way."

"No!" Logan stood up suddenly, tipping the chair back. "She's fooled you, too? What, Charlie, ya just gonna wait around 'til a body turns up, and then try to get rid of her. I can smell the killer on her. She reeks of bloodlust!"

"Logan! That's enough. She's one of my students now. I have seen a part of her mind and she is an innocent, confused girl who has certainly suffered the removal of a great deal of her memories. I can see great potential in her. If she is dangerous now, she will not be by the time Remy returns." The older man relaxed slightly. "I am not one to make bad judgments, especially ones that could endanger my school. Beth will remain here for now."

The Wolverine narrowed his eyes. "You've made it real easy for her, Chuck. Real easy."

A.N: Another very short chapter. It will fall together with time. So, have you read A Cut of Cajun…and do you think I should continue. Well, keep reviewing, and I will keep writing!


	10. Chapter 10

Dear Remy,

Five years is a long time, and it has taught me a lot of things. One is, that I should never betray my heart.

That is what I did and I'm paying dearly for it. I used to hope that we would always be together, but I now realize that you did not leave me. I left you. In all my psychology analyzing sessions, they did not show me the truth.

The truth is that when you love something you don't leave it behind, you don't give it away and you don't refuse to follow it. I did all of those, and I know that I do not deserve a second chance.

I have forgiven you a long, long time ago. I only wonder that you can, because I made a grave mistake. I never visited, I never wrote, or made a phone call. Now it's my time to hurt like you must have...You never forgave me for leaving you in Antarctica, you didn't have to, because I have always known that you didn't blame me, in the first place.

I don't blame you for what you think you caused in those tunnels. Perhaps you were a young fool who made a mistake, but you are innocent. I am to blame. I have left you behind twice now.

I guess it's only fair that you're not here now, that I have shown up to an empty house. After all, it is only fair that you not wait up for me. I never was fair with you. I should have loved you much more, and I should have cherished you forever. That I didn't was my mistake. I can't tell you any more, I can't do anything much else. If you find this note, it is my last goodbye to you. I can still see you fade away when I left you, lying in the cold snow, or fading into a brilliant sunset. Love has no words, it has been said. None that I'll ever get the chance to speak. That is my fault, Remy. I have a lot to wonder about, and many days left to figure out exactly why I left you. Those were my mistakes and this is my misfortune.

I'm so sorry. I have never stopped loving you, and believe me now when I write, with a shaky hand, the words that I could never mean more than I do now.

I will never stop loving you, Cajun. Ever.

Love Forever,

Rogue.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or the X-men. Beth remains mine. Please do not use her without permission.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Rogue ripped the page out of her diary, neatly folded it in quarters and slid it under the door. She jumped back in surprise as an alarm went off inside the house. Quickly she put her pen and diary back into her bag and hurried back into the street.

The noise had already gathered a small crowd, and she began to run.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Can I get you anything else?" inquired the airhostess, setting a small bottle of bourbon and a glass in front of him.

"No 'tanks," he answered, leaning back in his seat. "Dis be fine."

As he opened the bottle and gulped some down he told himself to relax.

It had been five years, and he was about to see his Rogue again. Just to be near her would be enough. He slid his hand into his pocket and fingered the delicate, rustling material that he always kept close. They had a lot to catch up on. A lot of running to make up for.

He looked out the window, seeing the wing of the plane he remembered how Beth had said she would like to be outside sitting on it. He could imagine that she would enjoy that. She had always liked heights, for some reason. Her black, curly hair would be blowing in the wind, her bright eyes laughing at him. But Rogue would look even better, with mounds of reddish hair, and that streak of white, perched on the tip of the wing. She would look at him seriously, without girlish joy, but with a serene, mature knowledge. She would understand, better than Beth, that she could fall…His little p'tite didn't know about falling quite yet. Time would teach her, though. Time did that. He sipped the bourbon.

And time would teach you how to pick yourself up.

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Rogue leaned back into a tub of scented water. There was soft music playing in the background and the bathroom was surrounded by candles.

She was glad that the professor had given her a credit card with a heavenly limit. It was nice to have the best.

The remains of a gorgeous dinner were spread out on a silky tablecloth in front of a window that gave the view to the best of New Orleans.

She flicked a rose petal away from her ear and drooped her hand over the side of the tub. As she listened to the music and relaxed she realized that she was falling asleep, and the water was getting cold. Not that cold mattered that much to her. While having Carol Danvers' powers she had been completely immune to the weather, but with the controlling of her powers she had managed to lock all the voices inside her head away…and most of the powers.

Occasionally she noticed that she healed at a slightly accelerated rate, probably a courtesy of Wolverine, and from time to time she managed to lift weights, run and fight with an elegant velocity not granted to most people. But she still missed being able to fly, and destroy anything that she ever wanted to destroy.

But she had realized that those days were over. The Remy days, the Brotherhood days…maybe even the X-men days. She sighed and got up, wrapping a robe around herself as she dried her hair and body quickly, slipping in to a pair of fluffy slippers to pad over to her suitcase.

She dressed in comfortable jeans and a shirt with worn sneakers and quickly tied her hair in a ponytail, letting a strand of white escape to frame her face.

There was going to be a fare in the park and she wanted to see what it was like. Someone said they would be selling books, and that there was a Ferris wheel. Tucking her wallet into her back pocket she tucked the flap down securely. She had lived quite a long while in a house with two skilled thieves, and besides having to thwart their mischievous attempts at pick-pocketing she had also learnt that they were everywhere, especially in the evening. Especially in New Orleans.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

His watch started to beep quietly. He glanced down at it and noticed the Trespasser Alert alarm had been disrupted in his home. Quickly he took a mini-computer out of his pocket and opened it up, typing in a few codes, before getting a view of the house.

The cameras that had been skillfully installed showed him a crowd of people gathering around when the alarm went off, and…yes, a streak of white hair disappeared into them.

He was about to check the camera's record for previous scenes when the plane hit some turbulence and the computer closed down.

Sighing, he tucked it back in his pocket. Well, Rogue was in New Orleans. They were, after a mighty five years, finally going to see each other.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Deux," she told the man at the ticket booth, and watched the little boy's eyes light up as she handed him the ticket.

This was probably what Remy had looked like when he was young. Poor, tired, hungry, and hopeful.

The little boy nodded his thanks, then disappeared into the crowd that was lining up for the Ferris wheel.

Suddenly she felt the entire world whirl round, and she clasped her chest, falling to the ground as nausea and panic rose up in her. Everything around her had been multiplied by two, and she couldn't seem to work out which way was up and which was down.

She managed to crawl over to a bench and phone a cab on her cell, keeping her feet on the ground and her head between her nice until it finally arrived.

She quickly stammered the directions to the hotel in broken French, and huddled in the back seat until they arrived.

She had been poisoned. She was sure of it. Her head whirled again and she clutched the plastic seat, then looked up at the cabbie's inquiring glance.

In her best French, she managed to ask for him to drive her to a motel. Somewhere reasonably cheap and nondescript. The driver nodded and took off into the night, with a suffering Rogue curled up in the corner.

He had to stop once so that she could throw up, and offered to take her to the hospital, but she just lied and said that she had had too much to drink, and pretended to act tipsy. How was she supposed to explain that a mutant hater, or else mutant villain had tried to kill her, and that she, being a mutant, was fighting off the effects? No, her French wasn't up to that. Fishing out a note she waved it in front of the driver's nose and ordered, once again, that he take her to a motel.

He shook his head slightly, then once again took off.

As she had requested, the motel was small, nondescript, quite cheap and had no room service.

But it had a bed and a bathroom, and that was all that she needed.

Finally, at three in the morning her illness had stopped, and she managed to creep into bed and pull the covers up over her head.

She awoke several hours later when the sun shone through the curtains.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

A.N: I know, this was pretty short and senseless. A longer chapter tomorrow. I just finished watching the movie "Paycheck" and so my mind took on a bit of a different style…well, my muse encouraged me to write this, so blame it not me. Lots of thanks to:

WolvieFanSpell, AmberTears, IvyZoe, Herszel, BlkDiamond, Mystical Sand, Roguefan, Lumberjane, 4Rogue and Harley Quinn D for being generous and honest reviewers. IvyZoe in especial, for pointing out that it DOESN'T snow in New Orleans and that I had been swerving off of the Romy track. Much appreciated. This chapter goes to you. (I sooo hope that I didn't miss anybody, or misspell a name.)

-Truest Tears-


	12. Chapter 12

Rogue heaved herself out of bed, gingerly setting her feet on the floor.

Almost all her belongings were at the fancy hotel. She couldn't go back, because whoever had poisoned her must have put the poison in that gorgeous meal that she had eaten before taking a bath.

Sighing she headed towards the grungy bathroom and quickly showered, getting back into her jeans and shirt, but didn't put her sneakers on.

She was feeling better, although still light-headed. Her enemies must have underestimated her healing abilities and general immunity. If she had been absolutely normal she probably would have died. That could have well been what they were aiming for. As it was, she was still alive, and had to leave New Orleans.

She had her cell-phone, and enough money for quite a few motel rooms, food and some clothes. She also had her credit card, but that could probably be easily traced.

Looking out her window, she suddenly noticed that a black car had pulled up on the curb, and three figures had climbed out. The coat of one flapped open and she saw the glimpse of a malicious-looking gun peek out.

She froze, then ran frantically towards the bathroom…there was a small window in the corner. She could probably hoist herself out of it, and then run down the back alley that, hopefully, led to freedom.

Her shoes!

Quickly she headed towards the door where she had left her sneakers, but froze when a voice called "Madame Rouge?" in a decidedly French voice, from the hallway. Quickly she leaned forward and locked the door, grabbed her shoes and ran towards the bathroom, jumping up she positioned her hands on the sill, twisted her body and managed to jump through the limited space, just as the door was kicked open and someone hurried in.

She landed in the alley and got up, dropping her shoes in her haste as she began to run.

Someone shouted orders and presently she heard footsteps running behind her.

In her life as an X-man she had learned many things, and she had also, under the careful eye of Scott, been pushed beyond her limit in workouts. She was as fit, and lithe, as a deer as she sprinted around corners, jumped over mounds of dirt and rubbish and ducked around fire-escapes and other metal traps.

Finally, she reached an inevitable dead-end, and whirled around to face her pursuers. She punched one in the face and kicked the legs out of the other before one managed to wheeze, "Non, please. We come from Remy Lebeau."

An interesting twist, she thought. They knew a lethal enough poison for her, even though it hadn't managed to kill her, and they had followed her from the Ferris wheel to the motel, and they also know about her affiliation to Remy Lebeau.

"Liar," she hissed, before knocking him out, then jumped and grabbed some foot-holes in the wall, lithely jumping over the wall, and kept on running.

It was very strange that they hadn't fought her…not really. They had just raised their arms over their heads to try to protect themselves, but hadn't attempted a thing to hurt her.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Remy tucked the phone away and whirled his motorbike around. His men had located Rogue in a small motel in the grungier area of New Orleans, and they had explained that she had run, seeming not to believe them.

As he sped through backstreets and construction sites, breaking speeding limits as he went, he wondered what it would be like to see her again.

Would she look much different? It had been such a long time since they had seen each other.

It was a cool, fresh morning, and he realized that he was heading towards the docks, where he guessed Rogue was.

"Don't hide, chere," he though out loud. "Don' be scared any more."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The saleswoman had looked at her weirdly when she noticed that she had no shoes, but now had left her alone as Rogue looked through the racks of garments.

There was a nice pair of beige leggings, a black T-shirt with a sequin adornment of a butterfly and a cream-colored coat that belted around the middle with a red sash, as well as a pair of beige runners that combined elegantly with the clothes. They would be good for running but wouldn't actually look as though she was wearing them solely for the purpose of escape.

She changed in a cafeteria's bathroom, mingling with the late breakfast rush to avoid making it obvious that she hadn't put on the shoes yet, choosing to wash her feet first.

She also bought a red cap to hide her streaks of white hair. They would make her too obvious, even among the crowd.

Her best bet would be to head down to an amusement park or something, at least with so many people around she wouldn't be an easy target. Then she should make arrangements for a flight. The problem was that they could be at the airport…they could be anywhere.

She lunched on hotdogs in the park, then bought a cake to crumble up and feed to the pigeons, after that she rang the airport to ask about flights back to New York, after all, she still had her false passport, courtesy of the Brotherhood.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Two hours later, Remy still had not found her. His men had continued looking, but it seemed she had left several dead ends all over the back streets. She certainly led a merry chase.

Returning back to his home, he received a fax with the names of people who had reserved flights back to New York in the last days. Only two names stuck out, Ann Dantes and Robin Holmes.

He sat back down with a sigh, wondering, not for the first time, if it was destiny that intervened every time he tried to get closer to Rogue…

The phone rang.

"She's at the Central park," someone informed him in French.

"Merci," he said simply, hanging up. He was already half way to the door, his hand reaching to grasp something that he had kept near him for five years.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO


	13. Chapter 13

Storm climbed gracefully out of the pool, the water dripping off of her. She shook back her white hair as she wrapped a towel around herself and slipped into a pair of flip-flops.

As she walked past the training area of the gymnasium she was suddenly transfixed by the sight of Beth, her eyes closed, a metallic bo-stick in one hand, a knife in the other.

She seemed to slash and stab at an imaginary enemy, pouncing softly, then retreating, whirling the stick around with elegant, practiced movements, her muscles flexing and moving in a coordinated ripple.

A shiver ran through Storm, and it wasn't because she was cold. It was because, for a single moment, she had seen not a human, not a young girl, but a wild, untamable animal, a sleek, cunning snake.

The most amazing thing, it would seem, was that she didn't make any sound at all. She reached, paced, jumped, but she landed like a cat, the only noise the cutting of the weapons through the air…

For a second, Storm was almost afraid.

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Warren, I need to talk to ya.'"

Angel turned around to find Wolverine leaning against a tree, smoking a cigar.

"About what?"

"'Bout Beth. She ain't quite right in the head. Smells like a trained killer to me."

"Hum, yeah…" Warren rubbed the bruise on his chin thoughtfully. "And your point is?"

"She's gonna hurt somebody. She doesn't have any control. My guess is someone's gonna piss her off accidentally, she'll beat them to death before she realizes she even did. She hasn't got any memory, but she has ingrained skill… a lot of it."

"There doesn't seem to be much we can do about that," Warren said tightly, his hands curling into fists as he thought about what it meant.

"I'm just making sure you know. We have to be the ones to make certain she doesn't get the chance to hurt anyone. Nobody else is going to. They've all been sucked in by her "good-girl charm." Too busy being entertained to notice what lies under the surface."

"You suggest we follow her around everywhere she goes?"

Logan dropped the cigar and stepped on it with one booted foot.

"All I'm sayin' is to keep a real close eye on her."

OoOoOoOoOoO

"Chere."

A simple word. A simple voice. A pigeon fluttered off of her shoulder as she sat up from the bench.

Five years had passed. So many things…

When she saw him, things flashed before her eyes, memories, sights, sensations.

…_He reached out, and with one final, lightning movement stole the light, pale green scarf from around my neck…_

…_It whipped away from my face, the light material rustling…_

…_It was then that I knew that no matter what the distance between us, of time or of space, no matter how vast, how long, in my heart I had pledged my love to him forever…_

"Remy." The word was spoken softly, unbelievingly.

She was exactly like he remembered her. The white streaks on reddish hair, the same look on her face. Almost as though nothing had happened, Beth hadn't happened, the casino hadn't happened, nor the brief return to the X-men…

"Remy…" her answer was spoken slowly, sadly.

"Oh, Remy, I am so sorry—"

His reflexes only kicked in just in time for him to catch her as she fainted.

Her eyelids fluttered softly, her face lit by the sunshine…pigeons fluttered around, a cloud seemed to slide over his world. She seemed to be gone. Broken, pale.

Not wasting any more time, he quickly slid her onto his bike, getting on behind her he managed to support her as he drove.

He had lost her once. But not again.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: X-men and the rest of Marvel's characters are not mine. I'm only borrowing them. Beth, however, is mine. So if you want to use her, please ask first. I'm sure to say yes.

A.N. Okay, well, I simply had to add chapter 13, even though it was the tiniest of all short chapters…but, well, I just had to give you something. I'm juggling between Beth and Romy, and I know there's probably a mixed audience, so I'll try to be fair to both, and concentrate a bit on each. Any comments, please send them to me, I love feedback, as long as it isn't flames. About my sudden silence, which lasted 5 months, well, it was because I moved house, and the internet connection just didn't get around to being put up—but I haven't given up on this 'fic, so you can keep it on alert if you're still reading it, as I will be writing more. A huge thanks to the people who commented on my last chapters, it is truly wonderful…well, you know the drill. Keep commenting and I'll keep writing.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Hello. You've reached the office of Justin Marley. Would you like to make an appointment?"

"Ah…yeah…" Rogue let the nails of one hand bite into her sweaty palm and considered how she could say this.

"Umm, does, does Mr. Marley deal in all types of…people."

"Yes. He specializes in all people, special or otherwise, of all species."

"Meaning…meaning mutants?"

"Well, yes, that too."

She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"And he's totally confidential?"

"Absolutely. By penalty of the law, he cannot discard or reveal any of the information which you give to him. You can even choose to attend your sessions under a false name, to discourage being recognized."

It was right then that she knew that she liked this guy.

When she walked into his office two days later she liked it, it was slightly posh, but comfortable enough, and she didn't have to wait long before she was ushered in and told to sit on a couch.

He was ashy blond, with warm brown eyes and an open nature. It took five sessions before he knew her life story, where she came from, the basics about her affiliation to the X-men, her diet and lifestyle and her fear…the fear of touching.

In fact, Justin was just what she thought she had needed.

She hadn't suspected anything…not a thing. He was a kind, generous lover, good in bed and out, as her momma would have said, the kind of person you called when you couldn't sleep at night. The one who always remembered your birthday when nobody else did…the sort of person you kept around.

And when you found him with another woman, you turned and you fled. You didn't break your heart further by trying to bash him up. If you hadn't seen it at the start, in these cases you just left. And once you had left, you went as far away as you could, and stayed away as long as necessary…

"How could you?"

"Oh, Deus, you're finally awake."

Rogue sat up quickly. It was Remy's voice.

He was sitting beside her. She found herself in a large double bed, black silk sheets wrapped around her.

"Did you miss me?" The voice was perhaps slightly sad, almost teasing.

"I…yes, I did. More—more, I think, than I imagined," she answered. She tried to keep her voice steady, her head clear.

"How did you find me," she asked. The puzzle was coming together.

He chuckled lightly. "My men found you. Said you didn' believe dem when dey said dey were from me. You gave 'em some fight."

"I was poisoned last night. I don't know how. It must have been the hotel food. I thought they were from the same people who tried to kill me, I had no way of knowing."

She was trying to get up, needed to think.

"What? Poisoned?" Remy looked alarmed.

"Who could have done dis? Last time I checked, 'y were as tough to poison as…well, as a Rogue."

"Last time you checked was five years ago, swamp rat. It seems that things have changed."

She wasn't feeling faint anymore, and any nausea that she had felt was completely over. She felt so strange.

"If anyone's trying to kill 'y, I'll know within de hour," he promised, getting up from where he had been sitting by her bedside. He reached out a hand and helped her up.

"Anyway, will some coffee help?"

"I hope so," she managed to answer.

It had been too quick. She was scared to look at him and break the spell, to see if he had in fact changed. They had so much to catch up on. So much to hide, now.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Beth turned her head. Her eyes narrowed and she pressed herself into the wall as the figure approached.

It was a man. He stopped and sniffed the air.

"Elizabeth. Come outta there."

She slinked out of the shadows with an elegance far beyond her years.

"Yes, Logan?"

"I'm only going to ask you once." The snikt of claws echoed down the empty hall. "So you better answer right."

She lifted an eyebrow and gave him her best smile.

"What, exactly, do ya here?"

Her smile had turned cold.

"Perhaps…revenge for my mentor.

Wolverine snorted.

"Gambit ain't ya only mentor. There was someone before," his eyes narrowed. "Someone better."

"Maybe there was." She shrugged noncommittally, turning slowly as she prepared to walk away, like a person tired of a bored conversation.

White feathers glimmered in the dim light, and she froze, her eyes glimmered as careful calculations raced through her head.

"Two against one. Hardly fair, I would say," she said in the perfect voice of a young lady.

"We don't want to hurt you," Warren said coolly. "All we want is to know where you come from and what you want."

"Call it regulations, if you want. It's the norm, in the X-men, to know a little about our guest's pasts," added Wolverine. He advanced slightly. Angel had cornered her back.

"Anyway, will some coffee help?"

"I hope so," she managed to answer.

It had been too quick. She was scared to look at him and break the spell, to see if he had in fact changed. They had so much to catch up on. So much to hide, now.

"Remy…"

He turned to look at her.

"Why the contact lenses. There is…nothing to hide."

He smiled slightly. "Y' right, chere. Nothin' to hide."

With one swipe she had knocked Angel off balance. Quickly she dodged a large wing that swiped at her, then blocked a fist and threw a kick. She used her bo-stick as a lever to spring up and over Wolverine's head, did a back-flip to get out of his way. A sharp claw nicked her on the arm and she bit her tongue to keep from making any sound.

One of the contacts fell to the floor.

"Damn!" Remy bent to pick it up. His arm hurt as though a killer mosquito had just swarmed in and taken a chunk put of it. Looking into the bathroom mirror, he saw that he had one brown eye and one red on black. It looked as though the demon inside him was trying to come out, to show itself, to tear everyone apart—

The cold shock on her face felt like someone had filled a basin with ice-cold water and doused her in it.

The good thing was that it had worked.

A good kick to the windpipe threw Wolverine back, while a painful handstand on Angel's wings tumbled him over.

Logan had recovered and the elbow in her ribs felt like a bullet, while a kick aimed at the face forced her to twist back suddenly…

Gambit hit the tiled floor. His neck hurt as though he had just suffered severe whiplash, and it felt as though a piece of metal had just swung into his side. His vision blurred slightly, and for a minute he thought he saw—

A white wing bashed her over the side of the head, smacking her against the wall. Somewhere in the fight she had acquired a blood nose, and her fists hurt from repeatedly hitting adamantium. She caught one of Angel's wrists, twisted one of his arms over her shoulder and heaved him over her head with the use of a hip, making him land on his wings.

Wolverine blocked her next two blows, catching her ankle and twisting it around. She did a twirl in the air, but her second foot caught him straight in the face, coming down almost in the same second on his foot.

Someone had wrapped a pair of arms around him from behind and…feathers, it seemed, blocked his view. He tried to grasp them and tear them away, but there was nothing there. In his struggle with the invisible opponent he cracked the bathroom mirror with a fist. A few shards cut his hand, but he didn't notice.

She flexed her hand with a grimace. It felt as though someone had shoved shards of broken glass in it. She kicked at Angel, wrapped her feet around one of his ankles to trip him up. He unwrapped his wings so that he wouldn't fall, and she skipped free of him.

A hand hit her from behind, and she fell to the floor.

"Remy? What's going on?"

Gambit sprang up, only half conscious, and ran to the phone. One hand dripped blood as he snatched up the receiver and punched in the number of Xavier's Academy.

"Jean, get to Beth, she's in trouble!" shouted Remy.

"Wha—Remy, what is it?"

"Beth." He did a sudden double take. "She's a friend. I left her at Xavier's, but she's in trouble."

"How do you know?" Rogue frowned, confused as Remy opened the door to his office and quickly turned on a computer. A few codes later, he had accessed the security cameras of Xavier's. A quick search revealed Angel and Wolverine standing over Beth, and Jean making her way up to the second floor. Beth got up suddenly, took a flying kick at Angel, then jumped out the window, catching on to the rail of a balcony below.

"That's her?" Rogue asked, amazed at the young girl's feat of strength.

Remy frowned. "It doesn't look like it. I didn't teach her to do dat."

"Well, someone did," Rogue said logically. "She's very good."

"Yeah, she is." He was already making a special call, one he had avoided making in a long time.

"But not _dat_ good."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A.N.: Trust me, I am absolutely aware how weird this was. I just haven't gotten any enthusiasm or burning desire to write well yet. I think my muse slept in. sniff but here you go, chapter fourteen. Any ideas, comments, curiosities or corrections are welcome. Thanks, once again, for the many helpful comments. And keep at em! Oh, and I might as well add that I know that the fighting scene was a drag, but I was playing it out mostly in my head, and was too absorbed to get it all down on paper…as strange as that sounds, so you'll have to invent the action yourself. :-)


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: The X-men are not mine. Never have been. Beth is, though, so please don't steal her. I'll probably lend her to you if you ask nicely.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Three hours later, Rogue perched on a desk in Remy's office. He looked tired and bewildered.

"And well?" she prodded gently.

"She was…a ballerina. Dey had a picture of her on tour with de group. She was a talent out of nowhere…only fourteen when she started."

Rogue was shocked to almost see tears in his eyes.

"Den one day she smashed up a classroom with her bare hands, and refused to dance. She went wild, as though possessed." He swallowed and turned away, letting a fringe of auburn hair cover his face.

"She always had a visitor, supposed t' be her fa'er, but dey never believed dat. She hated him. Den one day she disappeared. She sent dem a note to say dat she wouldn' be comin' back, had gone back to 'er family…"

He cut himself off, trying not to let his voice shake, or any emotion to show through his demonic eyes.

"But she had no father, Rogue. Don't 'y get it?" he turned towards her, and she could see that his heart had been torn open.

"Dat man—dat man was Sinister."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"This is not permissible Logan!" thundered Charles' voice.

The Wolverine raised an eyebrow with a twitch of boredom.

"I am truly surpised at ya, Chuck. Didn't ya see…surely a telepath of ya power would have realized, that Beth isn't just a little girl. You saw the fight, you have the tape. And you can see that Angel's bashed up. Two against one, but she gave us a fight well beyond a bit of Gumbo's training."

"Logan, listen to me! She is just a child, she fought with fear, not ability."

Wolverine coughed, then laughed. With the remote control that he held in one hand, he rewound the tape. Across the room, Angel gave him a brave smile. A few dozen strands of cartilage in his wings had almost snapped, and there were numerous bruises on his arms, chest and face.

As Charles Xavier leaned back in his wheelchair and examined Beth's demonstration of acrobatic endurance, the doubt tickled at the back of his mind. He seemed to have some sort of dark cloak about his mind, something was hiding from him.

He gasped and was thrown forward by some unknown force, clutching his head as his mind opened up again, for a moment it seemed as though all the thoughts of everyone in the world thundered in around her. So many years of practice allowed him to lock them all out again, but there was one voice that stayed.

_Kill and eat, _it told him, in a cold, passive voice. And then he knew. He knew everything.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was early morning, and they were once again on a flight headed back towards the X-men.

This time, Remy had a feeling that his stay would be a little bit longer. He had to work everything out with Beth, and this time he wouldn't take any blank looks or interruptions for an answer.

Rogue had nestled her head sleepily against his shoulder, and although he felt bad about it, he turned up his collar so that her cheek didn't touch his neck.

He looked out the window, and for an instant he thought he saw Beth, laughing as she set on the tip of the airplane's wing, her wavy hair rippling in the wind about her head. Then he thought about what he had found out, and what Jean had told him. Something was not right. Like him, his little p'tite had been hurt by Sinister, too. It was a curious coincidence that they had been united by fate…

Perhaps not a coincidence at all.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

This time their baggage was not lost, and Remy picked up his cases. Rogue's had not been retrieved from the hotel, as he had feared that however had poisoned her could still be lurking around, in fact, might be tracing them right now.

A light tap on his shoulder made him spin around, and he was suddenly enveloped into a huge hug by a young woman with shoulder-length jet black hair and rose-tinged sunglasses.

"He, what's dis!" he managed to exclaim when she let him go.

A huge smile crossed her features, and she removed the sunglasses. He was suddenly looking right into Jubilee's cattily slanted Asian eyes.

"Now, Gumbo, you owe me an explanation. I heard that you passed right by the mansion and didn't even stop to say hi! That's like, unpardonable." She grinned, all the same. "But I've missed you so much I can't stay angry."

"Same here, p'tite. Now, tell me, who else's part of de welcoming committee?"

Behind his black shades, his red on black eyes were already beginning to simmer as he watched Wolverine walking towards him, followed by Storm.

"Hey, Gambit." Logan looked tense, and his icy blue eyes shone like a wolf's. Then he relaxed as Storm put a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back. We have a matter to solve, 'bout Beth. But first we have to find her."

"We sure do," said Remy, and there was a splitting edge of sarcasm in his tone.

He took a step closer to the Canadian.

"And if we don't, I will kill you."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

A.N.: A tiny chapter, but you said update very, very soon, and I took you literally. So here you go, a few more answers about Beth. Heheheheh, and a lot of surprises to come:-D


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Marvel 'tis not mine. X-men aren't hence forth and soforth... Beth is. So is Genie and Ky. I am pretty generous, I'll lend them to you if you ask.

A.N: Real sorry about this chapter..um, it's probably not that good, but I'm writing more, so hang in there, y'all. Oh, and any comments or suggestions that you have, please send them in. The other thing, I don't know what color Beth's hair is, so could you all please say what YOU think her hair color is, just by having read about her..it would be a big help. Thanks! And a big hug for all who have reviewed, much appreciated! xxx

"It hasn't changed much," Remy said as he looked around the familiar halls of the polished X-Mansion. "How is de professor?"

"He's been fine," Rogue answered. "Last time I checked he was his usual self."

"Actually, he has not been that well lately," said Jean Grey's voice.

"He has shut himself in his study, and hardly eats. I think he made a discovery about Beth, but he doesn't want to speak about it."

Remy turned to look at the telepathic redhead.

"What d' y' know about her?"

"As I said, he doesn't speak about it."

"Jean, if he knows anything about Beth—"

"I know Gambit. But we must give him time. He has made a discovery that is painful to him, but if not telling it endangers Beth, then of course he will tell, eventually. For now we must leave him alone."

"'Fraid I can't do dat, Jean," Gambit said simply, advancing towards the stairs.

Something grabbed him from behind, and he whirled around.

It was a bruised-looking Angel.

"I suggest you leave the Professor alone."

"Yeah, I will for now, I got a score t' settle."

Remy's eyes went cold, and, in a replica of what Beth had done several days before, he socked the angel man in the nose.

"Dat was for Beth."

Storm and Jubilee rushed forward to catch Warren, aghast as the blood started to gush out.

"Remy, what was that for!" exclaimed Jubilee as she hurriedly applied a tissue.

"Da' betta be clean," Warren muttered in a nasal voice.

"Stop whining," Storm ordered. "We must get you to Hank, that's the second time…" she glared at Gambit.

"This is childish. Why can't you all just stop it. Our main priority here is to find Beth. If we want to do that, we must work as a team." Her eyes glazed over slightly for a second, as an electrical crack sounded through the air. "I am going to speak to the Professor and ask him to use Celebro. The rest of you should form groups and get some supplies."

Angel shook his arms free and stood up carefully. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he removed the tissue. More blood poured out.

Someone screamed.

The X-men whirled around to find a girl dressed in jeans and a light blue turtleneck standing in shock at the door. She had obviously seen the blood.

Jean hurried towards her.

"Genie, it's all right," she said to the girl, leading her to a seat. "It's all okay, it's just a nose bleed. It's almost stopped now." The girls face had gone white and her fingers clutched the arm-rest.

"I'll get her some water," Jubilee said, hurrying off.

"What's wrong with 'er?" Gambit asked, bewildered.

"She can't stand blood, Jean answered. "She's been with us for about six months, her and her brother Ky. She had a bad experience once, and well…" A shadow of sadness passed over Jean's face. "I guess she'll never be the same again."

Jubilee had returned with the water and they watched as Genie took small sips, her color gradually returning.

"Oh, yes, _she's_ in pain," Warren scoffed as he went to clean up his face.

The Cajun turned to the group. His eyes looked grave as he conceded.

"Fine, I'll leave de professor until tomorrow. But den he better say where she is, and what he knows about 'er."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I can't believe you did that," Rogue said.

A light breeze from the surrounding garden played with her hair, the white streaks lifting up towards the sky. Her emerald eyes sparkled with hidden amusement.

"I can't say Warren didn't deserve it. The last years he's been…oh, well, himself, I guess. Sort of stuck-up, a royal pain when he doesn't get his way."

She turned towards Remy.

"In fact, two good punches in the nose probably did him good."

They laughed together, the sound ringing into the air like merry wings on a spring breeze.

"Why did we let this go?" Rogue said, more to herself than to him."

"I don' know chere," he said, gently lifting her chin up with a gloved hand. "But if Remy ever find out, he be sure to tell you."

"That's what I like to hear," she said, wrapping her arms around him. She leaned into his frame, standing on tip-toe to hold him as close as she could. One of her hands reached up and she caressed the auburn hair at the base of his neck.

The familiar scent of cologne and cigarettes filled her nostrils and she breathed in deeply, feeling safe for the first time in perhaps five years.

There was a rustle behind them, and Remy and Rogue turned around to find a young boy of about seventeen with gingery blond hair and bright eyes looked at them, embarrassed.

"Geez, didn't mean to interrupt. Um, I'll come back later."

"No…no, what is it, Ky," Rogue said, letting Remy go.

"A letter, for you. It just arrived in the post. I'll leave it on the kitchen table if you want."

"That's okay," Rogue walked forward and took it, smiling slightly to make the boy feel less uneasy about having intruded on a private moment.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. If I'd have known I would've stayed away. Sorry."

"Dat okay," Remy winked. "Not as though we can do any'ting."

The boy gave him a frown and a funny luck, before moving away.

After he had gone Remy turned back to Rogue.

"What, it's true," he said with a shrug.

Suddenly he realized how serious Rogue looked.

"It's bad news?" he asked softly.

She didn't answer, but kept reading, her eyes large and starting to fill with a few stubborn tears.

Remy reached for a letter, but she snatched it away.

"No. You can't read this." She turned her head away, letting her hair fall into her face. "This is something that you should never have to read."

"Why do you hide dis from me? What can be so terrible, chere?" he looked hurt when she faced him again. She touched his face with a gloved hand.

"I hide this from you, because I promised myself that I would never hurt you again."

"But when 'y hide from me, y' hurt me even more."

A tear slid down her cheek. "So be it," she said eventually, and held out the letter. A small, bittersweet smile crossed her face, and then she turned away again.

"After you read this, if you still want to know more, look in the second drawer of the chest in my room. I'll be in the library." Without facing him again, she walked away, and he was left alone in the garden, with nothing but the sky, the plants, a solitary songbird and a love-letter for company. And the more he read the letter, the lonelier he got.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply; X-men, Marvel, etc, are not mine. Beth, Genie and Ky are. sticks out tongue. So, um, don't steal them without previous permission.

A.N.: Um, please let me know how this is going. I guess I was on a sugar-high today or something, and I did write this while munching on peanuts and listening to James Blunt. It's past 1:00 a.m. and I just finished writing it, so if it's bad shrugs don't lose hope, I'm going to be writing more and better tomorrow. :-)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Rogue cradled her chin in her hands as she leaned her elbows on her knees. She sat huddled on the window-box in the library.

Outside a soft breeze blew a few stray leaves from the trees. A bird suddenly took flight from its perch in a branch, outlined for a moment in the sky, a dark silhouette against the clouds.

She wanted to fly, wanted to take off and never return, never have to face her judgment, because when Remy had finished reading all that there was to read, there would be very little left to her… or, there would be an utter completeness.

So there sat the Rogue, five years older, one man less innocent, one reunion more nervous, waiting in the library for the one man that she loved to make the final decision.

Did he still love her, or didn't he?

The sun was beginning to fall by the time she lifted her head, stretching some cramped muscles that she hadn't even noticed were being bruised.

Physical pain had long been overpowered by emotional pain, leaving no room for her to notice that she had left a clear imprint of her nails in her left palm.

The first time that she had opened up to Justin, as she sat there talking, she had done that to her hand. He had leaned in closer and gently touched her wrists, making her stop hurting herself. She had flinched slightly, but was relieved when the pain went away.

The moon had risen above the horizon, a brilliant sunset was displayed across the sky, covering the entire view from the library.

A white stripe of hair fell in front of her eyes, her head leaned against the windowpane.

"Forgive me," she whispered into the sunset.

_The sunset was fading into a cool night as the ship lifted anchor, preparing to take off into the calm seas._

_It has been five years, but I remember even the smallest detail, of his face, his gloved hands, his eyes, that searched mine with pain…and, finally, understanding._

"Rogue. Wake up…y' safe now, chere. I'm not leavin' you."

A hand that almost shook as it carefully unwrapped her hands, taking her wrists, gliding over the back of her palm, a light kiss on her bare hand.

_It was then that I knew that no matter what the distance between us, of time or of space, no matter how vast, how long, in my heart I had pledged my love to him forever._

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The cold night air blew against her face. Her eyes closed for a moment, her tongue licked her lips once. She had been running for hours. Her muscles were burning, as were her eyes. Her hair glittered in the moonlight, clawed hands found spaces, rocks and roots to hoist her up with.

She could see enough in the moonlight to realize that she was scaling a rocky wall, a cliff. Why? Well, who knows?

Her foot slipped, and she hissed in anger. With her heels, she kicked off her shoes, her toes suddenly developing the same claws as her hands. The muscles in her arms suddenly rippled, developing new depth, new strength as she made it to the cliff top, and kept on running.

There was a pool of water, and she skimmed through it, her feet webbing, scaled momentarily appearing, then disappearing on her skin.

She walked down a cave entrance, through a metallic door, until she reached a room decorated sparingly with a desk and some sculptures.

She stood there, her skin suddenly a milky white. Her hair became long, and jet black, her eyes the faintest blue.

"Master," she bowed to the man.

Suddenly, another figure caught her attention, and she turned around, her eyes widening.

"Sir," she said. This time, her voice was humble.

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"No."

For some reason, he simply hadn't expected to hear that, so…well, so decisive. He had flattered himself that he had a way with women, correction, he _had_ a way with women, but Genie was different.

Jean had told him how, about a year ago, they had gone to New Orleans on a mission…to fight Sinister. He had had a secret base there. As it was, Stormy had caused a freak storm, which left the city covered with snow for several days.

Remy had calculated that that was when he had found Beth. Putting two and two together, it wasn't hard to work out that, probably thanks to the X-men interrupting Sinister's experiments, she had been able to escape, out into the snow.

That was where Genie came in. She had been a dancer at the same theater as Beth, and she had had a bad experience while there. That had been about a year ago, and she still wasn't talking.

After half an hour of coaxing, Gambit was tired of it all.

"What is wrong wit' ya!" be almost bellowed at her.

"Dis is Beth's life y' playing wit', can't you see dat?"

Her eyes went wide with fear, then glittered coldly.

He felt a small tugging at the back of his spine, like a prickle, and then he started to feel very, very light. In fact, he was floating. Everything in the room was, as was everyone else present. The furniture, books, pot-plants, ornaments, pictures, even a carpet and some mounds of dust were dancing slowly through the air.

Her eyes had long lost contact with anything that the naked eye could see. In front of her eyes, she could see memories.

She didn't even move as her voice began to flow out, reliving everything.

_It was cold. Theaters are usually quite chilly, so I didn't find that so strange. But then, it was as though the air had turned to steel…I turned on the heater in my room, but the closer I sat to the warmth, the colder it got._

_I put on all the jumpers that I had, my gloves, socks, shoes, a hat, a scarf, and nothing helped._

_My nails had long turned blue, I was shaking all over. The room began to spin and I thought that it was all going to be over…I was about to pass out…_

_In the distance, I heard a laugh, then a single scream._

_My room was the closest to the stage where we had been dancing our latest show, so I got up and headed towards it. I didn't know how I was able to stand, except that I had heard the scream, **her** scream, and I knew that I had to do something._

_I saw a man, and a girl, a frail dancer. He was forcing her to dance, laughing as she fell, shaking, weak. She was begging him not to—not to hurt the baby…_

_It was then that the warmth started to reenter my body. I threw off my jacket and suddenly it hit the man, right in the face._

_Of course, then it was no use hiding._

_The dancer curled up in a corner, clutching her stomach, crying. He turned to me, and suddenly I felt pain…all along my arms and back. I screamed once, and the dancer rushed forward, throwing herself on the man._

_The pain stopped, and I fell down._

_What happened next…I don't ever care to remember._

_The man seemed to hook on to the baby in the girl's stomach, and twisted it. He was about to kill it, and the girl swore that she would do whatever he wanted if he would only spare the child._

_So, he did what he knew would hurt her most._

_He forced her to torture me._

_All I know is that there was blood everywhere. Claws, eyes, thoughts that floated through my head, and pain._

_The girl cried so much, and so hard, that at the end I cried with her, and for her, not for myself._

_The stage dripped blood, and when it was over, he made me clean it up telekinetically and hide it under the theater, in the pipes._

_He twisted my mind, I think, so that I hid the thoughts inside of me, so that until now I have not been able to tell anyone._

_You see, that is my power…if I think hard enough about things, well, I suppose you can say that they happen. I don't think it's actually telekinesis, more like my thoughts are powerful enough to move things._

_What the man did not know, was that I made a connection with the girl…I gave her some power, some power of thought. I do not know how._

_When it was all over, he leaned down and he gave the dancer a shot of something, like some serum._

_When I woke up again, she was nowhere to be seen, and if it weren't for the tell-tale smell of blood in the air, I would have thought it was all a bad dream. In fact, I did. Six months later, when I left New Orleans after I failed the theater and met up with the X-men in New York with the help of my brother, I still thought it was a bad dream._

_But there was always that nagging thought at the back of my mind._

"_What if it was real."_

The furniture came crashing down, along with everyone else. They hit the floor without previous warning, and everything went black.

A.N.: This has got to be, like, the worst chapter ever. Grrr, I am disappointed in myself. But, it is another piece to the puzzle, so, um, enjoy. :-D Oh, and by the way, a million thanks to my faithful reviewers...this chapter is for you.


	18. Chapter 18

Remy was the first to awaken, and he blinked in surprise to see everyone else sprawled out fallen on the floor. Genie cowered in a corner, her eyes wide and unblinking, and he could tell that she was hyperventilating slightly.

When he looked to his side he saw Rogue lying almost flat on her back, her beautiful auburn curls spread out around her, both hands lying on her stomach. She looked rather peaceful, really…

Storm was already stirring, so he quickly got up and picked Rogue up into his arms, carrying her out the door and to his room. They would have to find Beth quickly, and they would need the professor to help track her. But first, he would wait for his Rogue to wake up.

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"What I don't understand, is why you punish yourself so much over this so-called "love." What is it that you did, that makes you feel so guilty?"

A few stubborn tears shone in her eyes.

"What do ya care? Ah made a mistake, a big one, and Ah'm payin' for it, so why do ya have ta make all these questions, as though ya think answers are gonna start poppin' up all ovah the place…"

"Rogue, I simply want to help you," Justin leaned in closer, and for a minute she thought he was going to take her hand.

She pulled away, suddenly, curling her legs up under her on the couch.

He looked saddened as he leaned back again.

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

She narrowed her eyes slightly, and tried to forget what had happened in her last session.

She didn't tell random people random things, much less of all a psychologist who probably would only tell her to go read another self-healing how-to booklet and go to a seminar. Yeah, she though sarcastically, that had helped.

"I don't mean to hurt you, in any way, but I need to know the truth. You're harming yourself more than you know by locking all these things inside you, not sharing with anyone, never lessening the burden you carry within."

"Yeah, well it's mah burden, and ah'll carry it."

"As you wish," his voice was sad, and he looked down at the clipboard in his hands.

"Justin, ya _can't _help me…even if you wanted to…and I know that ya don't. Everyone wants money, and they'll work for it. That's all this is…work."

"There you are wrong, Rogue. This is more than work."

"Are y' all right?"

A hand on her shoulder made her jerk awake, out of habit one of her hands reached out and enveloped the hand in an iron grip, another arm snaking around the person's neck, the imprisoned hand twisted around the back, a knee into the bottom of the spine, and the person was then unceremoniously dumped on the floor.

"Is dis de way you treat everyone who wakes y' up?" Remy asked from his position on the floor.

"Oh, hell, I'm so sorry. It's just…well, habits die hard, you know?"

"Yeah…" He leaned up and kissed her.

She blinked in surprise, not even remembering to pull back.

"Right…you can do that now." She tipped her head to one side and looked at him. "So do it again."

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She trusted him, didn't she?

Of course she did. She had showed him the diary, the little book that she kept that had told him all about how she had fallen in love with another man, and how he had cheated on her, using her most vulnerable emotions to hurt her the most.

He was tempted to find the sick freak and beat him up until he got a taste of what Rogue had suffered through… but right now he had to find Beth, get the professor to cooperate, make amends with the x-men and finally sit down with the girl who he had come to consider his daughter and get the full story from her, starting at the beginning….


End file.
